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It has been a while, but I am back with another ambitious restoration wrapped in mystery, intrigue, surprises, expenditures, ups, downs, sparks, and even a few moments of humility. With my previous restorations, I have always had some sort of form-guidance. For example, a Triumph Model A should be restored to resemble a "Triumph Model A." Or, an Amberola 50 should be restored to resemble an "Amberola 50." As you will soon see with this restoration I have been left with a blank chalk board, and literally......LITERALLY one piece of "chalk" to start with.
Thomas A. Edison is my hero. I surround myself with evidences of his genius and apparatus of his inspiration. Am I a collector? ABSOLUTELY. The Edisonia I collect form a bridge in time between the laborious afternoons in the Menlo Park laboratory, and my 1870's farmhouse overlooking the Adirondack Mountains. A far cry from the cradle of West Orange, NJ. My admiration of Edison is one of the massive forces that continually inspires me. Ultimately to prove that nothing is impossible. And that genuine work ethic has its rewards. Even, in the face of failure.
Okay. Now that I have that out on the table, let's move onto the phono in question!
While frantically surveying an outcropping of phono parts and records at a recent auction, I spotted this irregularly outfitted upper casting sitting out on the table next to other less fortunate castings. Immediately I spotted the square opening in the frame under the feedscrew area. A few things are obviously wrong with this piece. Although equipped with a much later reproducer carriage and 2/4 minute shift lever, the center mandrel support stanchion has been replaced with a piece of machined brass. And......where's the serial number "bubble"?
After removing the un-necessary pieces, we get a better view of what we have. Here are a few views of the casting. Notice the important early features: No end bearing adjustment screws on the end gate or left mandrel support stanchion. Carriage rest on front of casting (which holds the lift lever). Although the black finish is very worn, and very oxidized, there is some evidence of gold decoration.
Close-up of the detailing. If you look closely under the straight-edge, you can faintly see a number "32". Was this Edison Home Serial# 32? Was it a factory prototype? Was it re-purposed for some other Victorian purpose? Only history knows.
The decorative lines are different than what you would find on the earliest "clockwork" Home models, and different from what you would find on the later Home models. Was it originally a clockwork? There is an area filed out just under the left mandrel support stanchion (to allow a highly angled drive string) to support this assumption.
Here is a look at an original drawing from the Edison paper archive:
Why was the center mandrel support stanchion replaced? A clue lies here. The upper right corner of the casting had a brass plate screwed to it......HOLDING IT TOGETHER. After unscrewing the plate, here is what I found.
I suspect that this was dropped. The upper corner cracked in two places, and the center support stanchion was broken off. There is an oval cut in the casting underneath the home-made brass center stanchion which may have been an attempt at re-attaching the original support. But, that piece is long gone, and the person that did this repair is long gone too.
Even though the center stanchion was replaced, and the upper right corner repaired.......WHY was the serial number bubble missing?
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
